Flying Guns World War II
Contents

This book describes the history of aircraft guns, their ammunition and their installations in aircraft. It commences with a technical history covering the development of guns, their ammunition, and related issues such as mountings and sights. This is followed by chapters on aircraft installations covering all nations and an evaluation of their use in combat. Appendices include comprehensive tables of the gun installations or World War II combat aircraft with details and illustrations of the guns used and specifications of their ammunition.

The authors have tried to create a unique source by combining information from two areas that are rarely discussed together despite the fact that they are inextricably linked: The history of military aviation, and the history of automatic weapons. Anthony Williams is particularly interested in the history of automatic weapons and their ammunition. His research in this field culminated in the writing and publication of his book Rapid Fire. Emmanuel Gustin major interest is in the history of military aviation, with special attention for the history of their armament.

Flying Guns World War II is intended to be the first of a series of three books. The second volume will describe the armament of aircraft before 1933, including the First World War. And the final volume will discuss the use of guns as aircraft armament after 1945.

Acknowledgements

page 5

Contents

page 7

Introduction

page 8

Chapter 1: Technical Developments

pages 9 to 59
Sample Pages: 33 37 52
The book opens with an explanation of some basic principles about automatic weapons, and definitions of the basic terminology relating to cartridges, projectiles, gun mechanisms, and ammunition feeds. This is followed by a discussion of WWII aircraft guns, starting with the rifle-calibre guns and working in order of increasing calibre from heavy machine guns, over 20mm cannon and cannon of intermediate cannon to the largest automatic cannon. Some manually loaded cannon and recoilless guns are also discussed. After the guns, the ammunition is described, starting with a discussion of new types of machine gun ammunition, the characteristics of cannon ammunition, and the design features of HE shells for cannon. The subjects of armour penetration, ammunition belt make-up, and effective range are raised. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of developments in gun mountings and gun sights.

Chapter 2: Preparing For War

pages 60 to 83
The second chapter describes the new developments in aviation from 1933 to the outbreak of World War II, the period in which most air forces exchanged fabric-covered, strut-and-wire braced biplanes for all-metal cantilever monoplanes. The evolution in the fields of tactical aviation, medium bombers, heavy bombers, fighters and heavy fighters is discussed, with attention for the new installations of the gun turrets and aircraft cannon. The chapter briefly discusses the experience in the Spanish Civil War and the conflict between Hungary and Slovakia, before closing by touching on the subject of Swiss rearmament.

Chapter 3: Early Fighting

pages 84 to 108
This chapter discusses combat on the Western front between 1939 and 1943. It opens by describing the armament of Polish combat aircraft, the painful experience of the RAF with unescorted day bombers operating in Scandinavian waters, and the equipment of the French air force and its defeat in 1940. This is followed, of course, by a discussion of the armament of British fighters, German fighters, and German bombers, and their crucial role in the Battle of Britain. Next the chapter devotes attention to the armament of the new day and night fighters that entered service after this battle, before concluding with a discussion of Italian combat aircraft and their armament.

Chapter 4: Eastern Front

pages 109 to 123
After a some observations on the Winter War between the USSR and Finland, this chapter devotes attention to the new Soviet combat aircraft that were entering service in 1941, and their combat experience in operation Barbarossa. Further developments in Soviet aircraft are discussed with attention for their use of big guns in air combat and the development of the Soviet preference for larger-calibre weapons with a moderate muzzle velocity.

Chapter 5: Ground Attack

pages 124 to 148
Sample Pages: 137 141
This chapter is devoted to a discussion of the role of aircraft guns in ground attack and especially in anti-tank missions. Most attention is given to the nations that deployed specialised aircraft for this role: The USSR, Germany and to a lesser extent Britain. The employment of these specialised aircraft is compared with that of fighter-bombers, and the effectiveness of cannon with that of rockets.

Chapter 6: American Arsenal

pages 149 to 176
This chapter describes the measures adopted by the USA, which was unprepared for a major conflict at the outbreak of WWII. It describes how for most aircraft, the USA came to rely on the famous Browning .50 M2. While six or eight of these guns formed the armament of most US fighters, there were also exceptions, such as the Bell P-39 Airacobra, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and other radical fighters. For bombers the USAAF preferred to install twin .50 guns in multiple turrets, and the development and success of these turrets is described. The chapter closes with a discussion of the combat aircraft of the US Navy.

Chapter 7: Japan's War

pages 177 to 196
Despite its material poverty, which greatly hampered the production of new equipment, Japan produced a large number of innovative gun designs, also because of an almost total lack of coordination between the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. This chapter attempts to bring some order into the confusion surrounding Japanese aircraft armament, and describes Japan's struggle to find the firepower required to deal with the extremely sturdy American combat aircraft.

Chapter 8: Maritime Battles

pages 197 to 208
This chapter describes the armament of the long-range aircraft that supported the Allied and Axis efforts in the Battle of the Atlantic. Large cannon were also used as a weapon against the U-boats, most famously in the Mosquito FB Mk.XVIII with its 6-pdr Molins cannon.

Chapter 9: The Bomber War

pages 209 to 247
Sample Pages: 226 227
This chapter identifies the difference in tactics and strategy employed by the RAF Bomber Command and USAAF, and how these related to the different armament of British and American bombers. The British experience in night bombing, and the German use of Schräge Musik as a weapon against night bombers, is described first, followed by a discussion of American bombing operations in daylight and the German search an effective weapon against the sturdy heavy bombers. The chapter closes with the German developments of jet aircraft, and their attempts to retaliate with improved bombers and V-1 cruise missiles.

Afterword

pages 248 to 250
In our afterword, we try to briefly summarize the lessons of WWII, while remarking that in the changed world after 1945, many of them were no longer applicable.

Appendix 1: Installation Table

pages 251 to 311
Sample Page: 293
The purpose of the installation tables is to give as complete a listing as possible of all operational combat aircraft of WWII, with their armament. Some aircraft that remained prototypes, or did not get past the service test stage, are also included. This listing is ordered by nation and then alphabetically by manufacturer.

Appendix 2: Ammunition Table

pages 312 to 314
For every cartridge size known to have been in use in combat aircraft this table gives the most common projectile loadings, basic performance figures, and the guns in which the cartridge was used.

Appendix 3: Gun Table

pages 315 to 320
All guns that were in operational use in WWII aircraft are listed with their calibre, main characteristics and rate of fire.

Appendix 4: Gun Drawings

pages 321 to 326
This appendix contains drawings, approximately to scale, of the fifty most important aircraft guns.

Appendix 5: Projectile Colours

pages 327 to 328
A brief overview of the colors that were used to mark different types of projectiles.

Appendix 6: Fighter Gun Effectiveness

pages 329 to 331
A fresh look at gun effectiveness: Which guns was the most powerful aircraft weapon, and which the most efficient? This appendix is short, but might provoke lengthy debate.

Glossary

pages 332 to 337

Bibliography

pages 338 to 344

Index

pages 345 to 352